Bloody Panda – “Art Galleries” (Stereogum Premiere)

When people write about NY doom crew Bloody Panda, they usually mention those executioner masks: The sextet removed the hoods, though, and Yoshiko Ohara isn’t the only one showing her face, so folks will have to focus on the ritualistic sounds they’re making. (And say hello to Krallice’s Lev Weinstein.) Last summer I posted “Sacades II” from the group’s atmospherically thick Summon. You’ll find an interesting contrast in “Art Galleries,” a previously unreleased demo track from BP’s first rehearsal sessions: It was recorded in NYC on a mini-disc in 2004 and it’s Bloody Panda at their most punk.

Guitarist Josh Rothenberger puts it in context:

“Art Galleries” was one of the first songs Yoshiko and I wrote together. This version was recorded in our practice space on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan on a MiniDisc player. Lo-fi all the way. Part of our first demo. Richard Schwarz on drums. One of the only songs where I perform backing vocals. At the time we were in the midst of figuring out how to fuse Yoshiko’s explosive material with the rest of the band’s interest in all that is slow and heavy. This song explicates those competing narratives better than any other.

When I upped “Sacades II” I mentioned “Miserere,” the 21-minute “doomcollage of live moments, natural disaster footage, and butoh” that comes with Summon. To give folks an idea of what to expect from the band’s upcoming live shows, along with a few ideas of things you probably shouldn’t expect (e.g. bloody hands rubbed against someone’s back), here’s a short clip from it.

Summon is out via Profound Lore. You can get it on vinyl via 20 Buck Spin. As mentioned, the band has some upcoming live events, starting tonight with the legendary Canadian death crew Gorguts (now featuring Krallice’s Colin Marston), brother band Krallice, and Australia’s Portal. Flawless! Then they hit the West Coast with Portland Crucial Blast crew Trees. (Check out Lights Bane, if you haven’t. And a new one, Freed Of This Flesh.)

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